Dan Hardy says he would willingly step into the Octagon with Matt Brown in February or March next year.

Brown called out the former welterweight title contender after his emphatic knockout victory over Mike Swick at UFC on Fox 5 in Seattle last weekend, claiming it is the fight MMA fans want to see.

"The Immortal vs The Outlaw. Apparently this is the fight the fans want. You down for Japan?" Brown asked Hardy on Twitter.

And Hardy, who has won his last two fights after a woeful run of four straight defeats, is open to the fight, promising to put Brown's moniker 'The Immortal' to the test.

"I've been very impressed with him as of late," Hardy said. "He had a good run in 2012. Me and The Immortal - we'll test that theory."

Speaking at a fan event in Australia, Hardy reiterated that he has no interest in fighting Matt Riddle, who has called the Brit out for a second time. Riddle famously revealed a simmering hatred of England earlier this summer, but Hardy believes the American would not be worth the effort.

"He's just a big, loud, annoying kid," he said. "And the problem is if I'm training for somebody, I'm spending three months dedicated to that person, and that would be three months of my life I wouldn't enjoy.

"I saw him at the gym. He showed up at Robert Drysdale's, which is where I train in Las Vegas a lot of the time. And he said, 'Look, if you want to go, I've got a piece for you.' And he was like, 'I'm just trying to make a name for myself.' And then he called me out again, so I'm going to hit him with a bar of soap and a sock or something."